FAQs

How does your custom process work?

Once you have booked a consult, I send more information about the process of designing your piece, prices and timeline. If you would like to move forward, I send an agreement, invoice for deposit and what to expect in the upcoming weeks.

What are your prices?

It depends on the project or service. I offer several services, customized art, jewelry and ceremonial tools. The range of investment is 500 - 2500 for custom art, and mentorships range from 200 - 1000. A deposit of 50% is required for custom projects, while full payment is required for mentorships. Payment plans can be arranged on a case by case basis. Fill out the Inquiry form if you would like to discuss the process in more detail or book a consult.

How long does it take to complete?

Again depending on the project and the amount of detail involved, the process usually takes 2-6 weeks. The timeline will be thoroughly discussed and agreed to during the consult.

What training do you have?

I have my bachelor degree in Near Eastern Archaeology and took part in excavations in Macedonia and on the island of Cyprus. I trained as an End of Life Doula, volunteered with Hospice for the past 7 years, worked privately for 4 years and completed the BC Bereavement Helpline Facilitator Training in 2021. I have my level Okuden in Jikiden Reiki. I completed the Gateways program and Out of Body Experience Virtual program at the Monroe Institute. I have my level 2 Practitioner training in White Lotus Tantra out of Vancouver.

Where is your tattoo studio located?

I am currently tattooing out of my tattoo studio in Nelson, BC. I also make visits to Saskatoon and Calgary occasionally and I book mobile appointments or work as a guest artist in a local studio. Information about guest spots or mobile appointments will be updated on my instagram @essence.of.ash

Where do your skulls come from?

The majority of skulls and bone remains are found while hiking or exploring around the Kootenays. I also obtain skulls from trappers that would otherwise dispose of the remains. All the skulls are processed by myself and honoured every step of the way. Any permits required, come from the Ministry of Environment and all regulations are followed when shipping internationally.

What is Ásatrú?

The word Ásatrú comes from Old Norse, the tongue of ancient Scandinavia, where it means literally faith or belief in the gods. It is a combination of two words: Ása-, meaning “of the Gods,” and -Trú, derived from an Indo-European word that combines the concepts of loyalty and faith.

The adherents of Ásatrú religion are today commonly known as Ásatrúar or Ásafolk. In Ásatrú, “Kindred” is the name of their modern expression of the ancient tribe. Ásatrú is not a church, although there is a strong religious aspect and it is not a family, although the members consider one another to be kin. The Ásatrúar also have no dogma, or formal creed, although they do have a set of shared beliefs. Perhaps the best way to think of Ásatrú is as an ethic, as a philosophy, or as a way of life associated with the Norse Pantheon. 

The core values of Ásatrú, as outlined in the Nine Noble Virtues, are Courage, Truth, Honour, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self Reliance, and Perseverance. Some groups use different words to explain the virtues, but they are essentially all the same.

Ásatrú have a saying, “We are our deeds.” This essentially defines ethics of Ásatrú better than anything else. The noble virtues create a holdfast, or inner compass, a reminder to be conscious of intention, and accountability for each choice.

What is your relationship to the Runes?

I dipped my toes into rune magick 10 years ago and felt overwhelmed. Intimidated. An ocean with depths unknowable. The markings slipping through my mind without catching, I would read the meanings over and over and they still felt foreign. My knowing mind couldn’t hold them, they had to be felt, consumed, digested, pulled through all the senses with deep reverence.

I tiptoed with them for years. Then they showed up in dreams, in the patterns of sticks on the ground, in folds, in everything. Visiting Iceland 4 years ago enveloped my visions in staves, it felt like each one had a pulse, a stream of energy to step into.

I started casting runes soon after returning from Iceland and practicing Seidr magick and Galdr. I could spend my life time exploring these practices and barely touch the surface. This is what nourished me the most, the infinite layers that unfurl with these sacred sources.

Making bone sets and casting with them has tuned my personal daily rituals, brought a new understanding of the Elder Futhark. Casting for others is an honour and one I am continually humbled by.

What are your favourite books?

‘The Wild Edge of Sorrow’ by Francis Weller, ‘Consolations’ David Whyte, ‘Mushrooms Demystified’ by David Arora, ‘The Sineaters Last Confession’ by Ross Heaven, The 5 Invitations, Becoming Nature by Tamarack Song, Astral Projection and the Nature of Reality by John Magnus, Sorcerer’s Screed the Icelandic Book of Magic Spells, Ancestral Medicine by Daniel Foor, The Psychic Sasquatch by Jack Lapseritis, Planetary Herbology by Michael Tierra, PharmakoGnosis by Dale Pendell, Veneficium by Daniel Schulke, Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, Trollrun by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold, Belonging by Tokopa Turner

What wildlife organization do you work with?

I used to volunteer with Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation in Saskatoon and now volunteer with Little Mittens Animal Rescue in Golden, BC.

What is the Poison Path?

The Poison Path is centered around entheology, which is the study of sacred plants for their psyche-magical properties to effect personal growth.  Like many esoteric sciences it incorporates multiple sources of information including ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, alchemy and herbalism.  There is also a very spiritual component to working with these plants. 

Some of the topics included in this practice are: The creation of herbal tinctures, oils and philtres for use in ritual or the creation of magical inks. Connecting with Underworld deities and subterranean earth spirits. Honouring of ancestral spirits through offerings, and communicating with ancestors for knowledge and insight. Traveling to the Witches’ Sabbath, utilizing techniques of soul flight, trance and herbal preparations. A first hand experience of the plant’s life cycle and how it changes throughout the seasons by cultivating and harvesting these plants in your own garden. Connecting with master plant spirits through trance, ritual ingestion, and spirit work. The creation of herbal homunculi using the techniques of spagyric alchemy. Honouring spirits specifically aligned with the current of classical witchcraft including the Witch Queen, Persephone, Baba Yaga, crossroads spirits, Mercurial spirits, Hecate, Lillith, Circe, Medea, the Host of the Wild Hunt and the King and Queen of Elphame.